When he said it all I thought it was pretty cool so I decided to look up more about him, see if he had any fights on youtube, etc.

This says it all for me. You got played by a common psychological sales tactic. You just decided to research instead of signing up. Most people do not and that is how he makes some of his money.

You've been told by two different people, who see completely different things within the school, you are going to far and go find another gym.

If you want to continue arguing semantics and reading interpretation we can. People will tell you I can do this all day.

Originally Posted by The Ghost of Christmas Fail

I'll confirm the belts are not IBJJF or really generally BJJ community wide adopted belt system. I think IFF you're being a little harsh on the guy, he said his grief is that Pittman's belt system,nickel and dime game and the hard sell attitude wasn't cool. (or at least that's my opinion)

That is fine because I found your "slimy" comment harsh. As a former gym owner "hard sell" is a tactic. I don't like it, but it exists and it works for some gyms.

Now I agree with IFF you're not going to get any ground with the "Well he said he was ____" We can't take you at your word, and really not many others will. Dem's the brakes.

I completely understand that, I am no position to be an authority and my memory could be faulty or I may have spaced out for a sec when he said something. For the same reason I didn't link posts I found that questioned or made accusations because it's just another guys word on the internet.

I still think it's ok for you to say you don't approve his methods and you want people to be aware of it.

And really it probably only applies to someone who wants to take it seriously in the future. I will say that I later read he uses a more traditional four belt system for those who plan on competing, which is cool. I understand the classes geared towards kids aren't putting them on the MMA path. I just picture the kid thinking he's really high ranked, going somewhere else and then finding out the systems are different and he's really a belt or two lower. Again, the kid is still learning technique, getting exercise, and my kid had fun. I don't know if Garrett teaches all of the younger classes but I thought he did a good job trying to instruct techniques to short attention spans.

Edit: Joe nobody's thread ever gets deleted. It keeps the site honest so you know if you ask questions nobody will cover them up.

Hopefully people do make it through the post or at least see my ignorance caveat on the bottom of the first post. Thanks for listening and I understand your reasoning.

Haha My slimey comment was a low blow. I admit I get irked whenever I see attempts (perceived or real) to mcdojo Bjj. On hardsell like I said my bills don't get paid because of Bjj so I'm not in a position to rule it. As a former salesperson I just don't approve of it.

This says it all for me. You got played by a common psychological sales tactic. You just decided to research instead of signing up. Most people do not and that is how he makes some of his money.

Ahhh, but you didn't actually read my posts. The intro/trial speech I saw him give was not to my group, but to another that was near me.

"Am I making too much of a deal out of this? I assume I am to some extent, I'm just not happy about possibly being mislead as to his credentials. My wife signed our child up on her own because of the claims he made, 'we have the best person in america in our town, why would we send him anywhere else?"

So yes, she was 'played by this tactic' as I was out of town and part of my frustration (in the kindest way) is with her.

You've been told by two different people, who see completely different things within the school, you are going to far and go find another gym.

I'm not sure which two people you're referring to here, but my child has a six month contract which will be fulfilled by both sides. (I just remembered I incorrectly said it was a two year in an earlier post, but it was too late to edit)

If you want to continue arguing semantics and reading interpretation we can.

I should say I generally enjoy debating and do not mean anything personal towards you. I have conceded points and respected your viewpoint despite arguing you on a few issues. How can someone be proven wrong if they refuse to state an argument? I don't mind arguing from ignorance because it makes it easier for the other person to tell me why I'm wrong, and if they know more than I do, which you do (especially having owned a gym) then I have to listen to that. I agree with you, I made too big a deal of it and was wrong in terms of my questioning on his degrees.

As a former gym owner "hard sell" is a tactic. I don't like it, but it exists and it works for some gyms.

Then we agree, I don't like it either. The reality is that there won't be a difference for my childs training if he is a 3rd, 4th, or 5th degree. If he says he's 5th, he's a fifth, if I misheard him he's a 4th. There is really no reason for us to argue anymore. I sincerely thank you for your input, have a good one.

Since I can not, I am asking that you do so. Having had my questions addressed and done more research, I feel that the first post sounds much worse than it actually is. I'm not a fighter, I'm a parent who was concerned about the legitimacy of the system. While it is not standard, it's not illegal or unknown and the majority of the first page is due to my ignorance of the subject. There isn't any ground breaking information here that people need to see and I feel it could do harm to his business if uneducated people like myself search, find this post, and assume my initial concerns were warranted. Pittman is not a scam artist, he's a talented martial artist and businessman. I see no reason why this post needs to be left up, as only myself and staff members have contributed to the discussion. Thanks for consideration.

So in the end you want me to take down a thread that could potentially help somebody's business? I'm glad you're not my dad.

So in the end you want me to take down a thread that could potentially help somebody's business?

My concern was that they'd read the first post and get the idea that there is all this controversy surrounding him without reading the rest. People tend to read headlines and assume the rest of the content just reinforces whatever idea they picked up from it. And I assumed if you thought I was correct that it would unjustly affect him you would remove it, and you obviously don't think it will.

My concern was that they'd read the first post and get the idea that there is all this controversy surrounding him without reading the rest. People tend to read headlines and assume the rest of the content just reinforces whatever idea they picked up from it. And I assumed if you thought I was correct that it would unjustly affect him you would remove it, and you obviously don't think it will.